FIFA Plans Major Cut to Agent Compensation

FIFA is making changes that will take a major chunk out of agents’ earnings.

The organization that oversees international competition in soccer intends to limit agent commissions to 3% of player salaries and 10% of transfer fees.

Top agents have threatened legal action if FIFA goes ahead with the plan.

• FIFA said that agents scored $500.8 million from transfer fees this year, a slight increase from 2020’s $497.5 million sum, despite total international transfer spending dropping from $5.2 billion in 2020 to $4.3 billion in 2021.
• In one unspecified incident, an agent earned 118% of the transfer fee paid by a German club to a French one.
• FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that training clubs earned around 1% of global transfer spending in 2019, while agents took home 10%.

Intermediaries Everywhere

FIFA also said that in 48 instances, both teams and players involved in a transfer paid a representative. On deals under $500,000, the median agent fee was 18.8% of the total.

The Premier League and European Club Association have both lobbied for more stringent rules on agents. FIFA had removed limits on agent compensation and other regulations concerning who could act as an intermediary — but is now reversing course.